In Saturday's only NRL clash, the Penrith Panthers have been forced to name an extended squad when they host Canterbury at Centrebet Stadium. Missing Origin stars Luke Lewis, Michael Jennings and Petero Civoniceva, the Panthers have called up Ryan Walker and debutant Harry Seijka onto a six-man bench. The Bulldogs maintain the core of their Round 16 side which defeated the Wests Tigers, losing only Michael Ennis to Origin duty. Dene Halatau moves from the bench to the hooking role, while Ben Roberts becomes the new face on the bench.

A rare Sunday game awaits the Cronulla Sharks this weekend, and they'll face an uphill battle against a rejuvenated South Sydney without the benefit of Blues' hero and captain Paul Gallen. He'll be the only change from Saturday's victorious side against the Titans, with Johnny Mannah coming onto the bench to fill the gap left by his captain in the starting pack. Two big Rabbitoh boppers, Greg Inglis and Dave Taylor, are missing through Origin and suspension. Eddy Pettybourne moves to the second row to cover Taylor while Shaune Corrigan is the new centre in place of G.I. New signing Luke Burgess appears on the Rabbitohs' bench.

What would have been match of the round in Wollongong on Sunday has been heavily impacted by State of Origin III. The Dragons will again be heavily hit by state representative omissions, no fewer than seven players selected for duty. Returning to the squad to cover these exclusions are Peni Tagive, Alex McKinnon, Reece Simmonds, Jake Marketo and David Gower, while Jack de Belin keeps a place on the bench after making his debut against Manly on Monday night. The Knights will again miss the presence of Kurt Gidley and Akuila Uate, the latter's omission covered by the presence of young firebrand Peter Mata'utia. Wes Naiqama again captains the side in Gidley's absence.